HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
153 
At the expiration of the second or third month from the 
birth of a first child, on a day declared to be good (lucky) by 
the sikidy, a peculiar kind of ceremony takes place, called 
“scrambling.” The friends and relatives of the child 
assemble; a portion of the fat taken from the hump on the 
back of an ox is minced in a rice-pan, cooked, and mixed 
up with a quantity of rice, milk, honey, and a sort of grass 
called voampamoa; a lock of the infant’s hair is also cast 
into the above melange ;* and the whole being thoroughly 
well mixed in a rice-pan, which is held by the youngest 
female of the family, a general rush is made towards the 
pan, and a scramble for its contents takes place, especially 
by the women, as it is supposed that those who are fortunate 
enough to obtain a portion may confidently cherish the hope 
of becoming mothers. Bananas, lemons, and sugarcane are 
also scrambled for, under the belief that a similar result 
may be anticipated. 
The ceremony of scrambling, however, only takes place 
with a first-born child. The head of the mother is decorated 
during the ceremonial with silver chains, while the father 
carries the infant, if a boy, and some ripe bananas, on his 
back. The rice-pan used on the occasion becomes in their 
estimation sacred by the service, and must not be taken 
out of the house during three subsequent days, otherwise 
the virtue of those observances is supposed to be lost 
With regard to names, the parents bestow such as they 
think proper on their offspring; but usually among the 
Malagasy, as among most uncivilized tribes, the names are 
descriptive, and are bestowed without any ceremonies. 
* A lock of hair is first cut on the left side of the child’s head, and 
called sonia ratsy, “ the evil lockthis must be thrown away, in order to 
avert calamity: another lock is then cut, on the right side, this is called 
sonia soa, “ the fortunate lock,” and is used as above described. 
